Santa is the coordinator of the group Mujeres de la Hondonada (Women from Hondonada). Her story is representative of both her group and of Esperanza's Haitian (many of whom have recently immigrated to the Dominican Republic) and Dominican clients. The group is based in Los Alcarrizos, a dusty industrial town north of Santo Domingo, where running water (none of which is potable) and electricity are unreliable at best. Here she makes her home in a simple structure with her husband and one child.

Santa has come to Esperanza with the goal of growing her business, which supplies salons in her neighborhood with hair products. With this loan she intends to purchase hair products such as shampoo, rinse, and conditioner. She believes that this will allow her to supply more salons and to distinguish herself by always having what is needed in stock, while providing high quality products. She will use the profits to invest in her business, to address some needs in her family and to save. In the long term she would like to continue growing her business with Esperanza to the point where she can sell more products, reach more clients and eventually have enough profits to purchase her own home.

Additional Information

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.